Plaiting-machine



3 Sheet-s-Slheet; 1.

(No Model.)

C. C. EMMONS. PLAITING MACHINE.

No. 557,500. Patented Mar. 31, 1896.

w/r/vfssfs l/vv NTO/i' I y I (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. C. EMMONS.

PLAITING'MAGHINB.

No. 557,600. Patented Mar. 31.1896.

ANDREW BJSRIHAM PHOTUUTHQWSNINFI'DMD C (No Model.) I A 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

C. C. BMMONS.

l PLAITING MACHINE. N0. 557,500. v Patented Mar. 31, 1896.

W/TNESSES:

AN DREW EGRMMPL PHUTQUTMIWASH NGTONJIC UNIT ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES C. EMMONS, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

PLAITING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 557,500, dated March 31, 1896. Application iiled January 13, 1892. Serial No. 417,986. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES C. EMMoNs, of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Plaiting-Machines and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for forming double boX-plaits,which will be fully described hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The primary object of my invention is to produce a mechanism constructed to form a double box-plait in contradistinction to a single box-plait, as has heretofore been done, by having four plaiter-blades which are arranged in upper and lower pairs in relation to a single-stitching mechanism, as will be hereinafter particularly specified.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view showing my invention complete. Fig. 2 is a plan viewof the same, the arm of the sewing-machine being removed. Fig. 3 is a side view of the short levers, the cams for operating them, and the plaiter-blade rods operated by the levers. Fig. 4 is a similar view of the long levers. Fig. 5 is an end view of the plaiter-blades, showing them moving the goods to the needle. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the double box-plait formed by the blades. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing how one set of blades is made to travel faster than the other. Fig. 8 is a detached view of the mechanism for revolving the cani-shaft F.

A indicates the base or bed of a sewing-machine of any desired type, and B and E the arm thereof, through which a needle-operating shaft B passes in the ordinary manner for reciprocating the needle-bar, all of which is so common and well known as to need no further description, as it forms no part of my invention.

The front end of the horizontal portion E of the arm of the machine is provided with a laterally and downwardly extending arm T and the vertical portion B with an arm or projection G, in which is journaled a shaft F, which extends parallel with the portion E of the machin e-arm, as shown.

Connected with the arm G is a suitable brake K,Which incloses the shaft F and is split and held in frictional contact with the shaft in any desired manner for the purpose of preventing the shaft from having any backward movement, as will hereinafter appear. Secured upon this shaft F, between the bearings, are two pairs of cams P and Q, one of each pair of the cams being held to the shaft by means of a set-screw, so that they can be adjusted longitudinally upon the shaft and turned thereon and secured to the shaft to have their cam-faces at any desired angle to each other or parallel to each other, if desired, as will be readily understood. The other cam of each pair is made adjustable in a rotary direction upon the cams just described,which are secured to the shaft, so that they can be turned in any desired relation to each other and to the cams to which they are respectively secured. The object of this construction will be described farther on.

Secured to the right-hand end of the shaft Fis a ratchet-wheel J, and placed loosely upon the shaft outside of the said wheel J is a ratchet -lever II, which has its inner face curved, as shown, to engage a cam D,whioh is adjustably secured to the pulley C, that is fastened to the outer end of the shaft B. This ratchet-lever II is held in contact with the face of the cam D by means of a suitable spring I, that has one end secured to thev lever and the other to the arm of the machine in any desired manner. A pawl a' upon the ratchet -lever lis held in contact with the ratchet-wheel J bymeans of a suitable spring, so that as the pulley C revolves the cam reciprocates the lever and revolves the shaft F through the medium of the ratchet-wheel and pawl, as will be understood. rlhe amount of rotation given to this shaft F at each reciprocation of the ratchet-lever is regulated by the adjustable cam D. By moving this cam farther away from or nearer to the center of the shaft B the reciprocating movement of the ratchet-lever is regulated, and thus the paWl carried thereby made to pass over one or several of the teeth of the ratchet@ IOO wheel, and the shaft F made to revolve a short or long distance, as desired, thus regulating its speed of rotation, and thereby the speed of the plaiter-blades controlled and regulated.

Projecting laterally from the side of the horizontal portion E of the machine-arm are two lugs L, between which the upper ends of the levers M are pivot-ed. Also extending downward and inward from the arm E is a projection R,which has its inner or lower end farther from t-he shaft F than the lugs L, and between the bifurcated ends of this projection R the bellcrank levers S are pivoted, as shown.

Secured to the base A of the machine near the vertical portion of the arm is a frame U, which is essentially U-shaped, as shown in Fig. 2, and provided at its ends with the bearings V, in which two reciprocating plaiterblade rods (Z and e move. Secured to the projecting ends of these rods are the plaiter-blade hangers n. n., which carry at their outer ends the plaiter-blades p 27. Secured to the rod c is a socket c, in which the lower end of one of the long levers M loosely rests, and secured to the lower rod (Z by means of a curved portion Z), to allow the passage of the socket c over it, is a socket o., which loosely receives the lower end of the other long lever M. These levers M are engaged by the cams P, as shown, and force them inward, thus carrying the rods CZ and e with them and bringing the plaiter-blades p to the needle.

A second frame 7c is secured to the base A near the presser-foot and is provided with the two bearings g, in which the plaiter-blade rods h t' reciprocate. Secured to the outer ends of these rods h and 'i are the horizontal` arms Z, which engage slots m, made in a vertical por tion Z of the frame 7c, and which prevent the rods Zt and 'L' from having any turning movement in their bearings. The rods CZ and c are likewise provided with horizontal arms t, which extend in the opposite direction from the arms Z and engage horizontal slots made in a guideway u, secured to the rear portion of the base A. Connected to the opposite ends of the rods 7L and 'i are the plaiter-blade hangers r, which have attached to their outer ends the plaiter-blades q. The rod 7i is provided with a socket (i, in which the long end of one of the short bell-crank levers S loosely flts, and the rod t' is provided with a socket 5, which receives the long end of the other bellcrank lever. The short ends of these bellcrank levers S engage the cams Q and are forced outward, carrying with them the rods 7L and yL' and the plaiter-blades q, connected therewith.

The rods (Z and e and 7L and i are returned to position by means of the springs 2, which have one end engaging therewith and their opposite ends connected to a stationary portion of the machine. Placed upon the rods 7L and 1I are the collars j, which are adj ustably held thereon by means of a set-screw, and

these collars engage the bearings g of the frame 7tand regulate the outward movement of the said rods under the pressure of the springs 2. So, also, the inward movement of the rods CZ and c is regulated by the adj ustable rods W, which engage with the sockets c and a.

The sockets c and a and the collars j are each provided with rawhide to deaden the sound when they are stopped. Owing to this adjustment of the movement of the rods (Z and e and the rods 7L and t' the amount of inward movement thereof Vby the cams, through the medium of the levers, can be regulated at will, and thus the width ofthe plait regulated. This is so because by the adjustment of the collars j and the rods lV the plaiterblades can have their resting-point brought nearer to or farther from the needle, and as each blade is moved to the needle each time the width of the plait is regulated by adjusting the distance of their movement under the pressure of the springs.

The direction of rotation of the shaft is indicated by the arrow in Fig. 7, and by reference to this iigure it will be seen that the pivotal points of the levers M are considern ably above the pivotal points of the levers S, and the pivotal points of the last-named levers are farther in a horizontal direction from a vertical line drawn through the operating-shaft than the pivotal points of the levers M. As the lower periphery or edge of the cams is revolving toward the levers, it will be seen that the lower ends of the levers M move faster than the lower ends of the levers S, and yet they are both moved at the same time, as will be plainly seen by reference to the above-named gure. Owing to this arrangement, as shown in Fig. 7, the upper blade q, operated by the rod t', and the upper blade p, operated by the rod e, can be started at the same moment, each making a plait, and reach the needle at the same time, since the blade p travels faster than the blade q, which is operated by the short lever S. From this description it will be seen that one of the upper blades is moved by one of the long levers M and the other upper blade moved by one of the short levers S.

IOO

IIO

Thus it is that the' blades are arranged in.

pairs, one blade of each pair being above and below the goods, respectively, so that a fast and a slow blade operate together both above and below the fabric. rPhe goods being operated upon pass between the two blades p, which are operated by the long levers M, as shown in Fig. 5.

By means of the above-described construction a double boX-plaiting like that shown in Fig. 6 is formed, instead of a single box plaiting, as has heretofore been the case.

By means of the adjustment of the cams P and Q the blades above the goods can be moved alternately and the blades below the goods made to operate in unison therewith,

or the cams can be adjusted in any desired relation, so that the blades will operate successively one after the other or in any desired relative movement, as will be understood.

Having thus described and ascertained the nature and object of my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

l. A plaiting device comprising four reciprocating plaiterrods, arranged in pairs, a stitching mechanism,'one pair of the rods being farther from the said stitching mechanism than the other, a means for operating the said rods, and hangers secured to the rods which are of different lengths to reach to the said stitching mechanism, and plaiter-blades securedto the free ends of the said hangers, substantially as specified.

2. A plaiting device comprisingfourblades arranged in upper and lower pairs, four levers for operating the said blades, a shaft carrying an operating means which engages the said levers, two of the said levers being shorter than the other two, and the shorter levers being pivoted farther from the said shaft than the two long levers as and for the purpose described.

8. A plaiting device comprising four blades, four levers for operating the said blades, two of the levers being bell-crank levers, and the other two straight levers, and an operatingshaft carrying cams which engage the said straight levers and the short ends of the said bell-crank levers, substantially as specied.

4. A plaiting device comprising a blade, a lever for operating the same, a shaft for operating the lever carrying a ratchet-wheel, a ratchet-lever for operating the said wheel, combined with a sewing-machine shaft carrying a cam adjustable eccentrically in relation to its shaft which cam engages the said ratchet-lever, whereby the amount of movement given the ratchet-lever is regulated, and thereby the rotation of the said operating shaft regulated, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHAS. C. EMMONS.

Witnesses:

H. C. AVERY, L. F. M. WYATT. 

